By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Sep 24 – Left-winger Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected British Labour leader on Saturday, seeing off a challenge from MPs but leaving the main opposition party split as critics said it was even further from power than before.

Supporters in Liverpool, northwest England, leapt to their feet cheering as the 67-year-old was confirmed winner with 61.8 percent of the vote among party members and supporters, easily defeating challenger Owen Smith.

In his acceptance speech, Corbyn urged unity, pledging to “wipe the slate clean” after accusations of bullying and fears of an irreparable breach between left-wingers and moderates.

“We have much more in common than that which divides us. As far as I’m concerned, let’s wipe that slate clean from today and get on with the work we’ve got to do as a party together,” he said.

Corbyn increased his vote share from the 59.5 percent he received on his initial election last year, when he put an anti-austerity, anti-nuclear agenda at the forefront of British politics for the first time in a generation.

His commanding victory is a major blow to Labour MPs who rebelled against him after June’s vote to leave the European Union, many of them moderates who believe his socialist views will never be accepted by most voters.

Corbyn was accused of lacklustre campaigning against Brexit, and many now fear he cannot provide the necessary opposition as Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives negotiate the terms of withdrawal.

He claims he has energised people who felt left behind by mainstream politics, drawing comparisons with anti-establishment movements across Europe like Greece’s Syriza.

But Labour is lagging far behind the Conservatives in the polls and Corbyn’s personal approval ratings are at rock bottom.

“Labour is not going to win any elections in the near future,” said Anand Menon, professor of European politics at Kings College London.

– Messianic appeal –

Labour’s home affairs spokesman Andy Burnham said the party’s “war of attrition” must now stop but urged Corbyn to build support among the public, not just activists.